First, he argued that the synaptic connections between neurons of the cortex increased in efficiency in proportion to a degree to which there had been temporal contiguity in their pre- and post-synaptic physiological activity.

However, as Deacon notes, many things can be said to have physical or temporal contiguity so there must be something more to this interpretative process.

At the same time, through similarity and contiguity, the infant constellates the child archetype in the mother.